Ellen Lockyer, Alaska Public Media
Mat-Su Teacher Enters Running For Lieutenant Governor
A Matanuska-Susitna Borough teacher has filed as a candidate for Lieutenant Governor. Bob Williams, a former teacher of the year, says he’ll support education funding.
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Plane Crashes Near Katmai, No Injuries Reported
A small plane crashed on takeoff from a remote beach in Katmai National Park and Preserve on Sunday evening.
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Fight Percolating Over Chugiak Solid Waste Project
A fight is percolating over a planned solid waste project in Chugiak.
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Dispute Brews Over Chugiak Landfill Plan
A fight is percolating over a planned solid waste storage project in Chugiak. Eklutna, Inc, the Alaska Native corporation there, has requested Municipality of Anchorage approval to create a site for what the corporation is calling an "inert waste monofill" , but outraged neighbors are calling a "garbage dump".
KABATA Project Moves Forward
The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, or KABATA, held an open house in Wasilla on Tuesday evening.
Chugiak Singer-Songwriter Advances In National Competition
Chugiak singer-songwriter Robin Hopper had been named a quarterfinalist in a national competition sponsored by the Grammy Foundation.
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Photographer Aims To Help Struggling Non-Profits
Photographer Ron Levy came to Alaska to work as a park ranger during the 1980s. He started taking photos, first as a hobby, but soon made the jump to a professional career. Levy has recently returned from Mexico where he shot photos of environmental degradation. He says he wants to use his camera to help struggling non-profits accomplish their aims.
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Chuitna Coal Battle Heats Up
The state has turned down a petition that would have designated some state lands within the Chuitna River watershed as unsuitable for coal mining.
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Mat-Su Voters To Decide On Alcohol Tax
Matanuska Susitana Borough Assemblyman Steve Colligan wants an area-wide alcohol tax to help fund Borough expenses.
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FEMA Admin Keeping Close Eye On Yukon River Disaster Response
FEMA Region 10 Administrator Ken Murphy is in Alaska this week to keep an eye on disaster response for Yukon River flood victims. Murphy spoke with APRN on Wednesday on the agency’s ultimate goal of providing services to disaster survivors to get them back on their feet as soon as possible. As of July 21, FEMA has paid out over $1 million in awards to individuals and households in the damaged areas.
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DNR Commissioner Sullivan Deployed To Afghanistan
Alaska Natural Resources commissioner Dan Sullivan is on his way to Afghanistan. Sullivan was recalled to active duty with the US military, according to DNR spokesperson Elizabeth Bluemink. His deployment began on Sunday.
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State Agricultural Covenants Questioned
The Matanuska Valley's Point MacKenzie area once was home to more than a dozen dairy farms, but these days, there are only two? one ? milk producers operating there. And about 14 thousand acres of cleared pastureland and hayfields are now catching the eye of those who see development potential in the former farmland. The debate over what to do with state agricultural land is growing louder, and some are pushing to change the rules that keep the land in farming.
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Troopers Search For Missing Man Near Big Lake
A search is underway for an 81-year -old man reported missing on Tuesday. Alaska State Troopers and Anchorage Police are looking for Wallace Wilkinson Dunn, who was last seen at a soccer game on Thursday, July 11. Dunn’s family believes he left his Anchorage residence sometime the following day, headed for a cabin in Big Lake.
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Weed Warriors Seek To Stop Invasive Pests
Weed Whacking Warriors tackled invasive plants this weekend during an annual event sponsored by the Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District. KSKA's Ellen Lockyer went along with them on a search and destroy mission to eradicate non-native plants.
Farmers Could Be Reimbursed For Supply Transportation
The U.S. Department of Agriculture wants to help Alaska farm producers with a program aimed at reimbursing them for at least some of the costs of transporting supplies to the state.
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Group Getting To Root Of Non-Native Plant Invasion
Weed Whacking Warriors tackled invasive plants last weekend during an annual event sponsored by the Palmer Soil and Water Conservation District. KSKA’s Ellen Lockyer went along with them on a search and destroy mission to eradicate non-native plants.
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Point MacKenzie Townsite Plan Raises Community Ire
The Point MacKenzie Community Council met on July 10 to air concerns about a proposed Point MacKenzie townsite.
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Former State Biologist Suggests Voluntarily Not Fishing To Boost Chinook Escapement
Chinook salmon runs are poor all over the state, but especially so in the Matanuska Susitna Borough, where sports fishing restrictions have been in place most of the season. Now a former state fisheries biologist says fishermen could help boost Chinook escapement by voluntarily not fishing at all.
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Investigation Continues For Soldotna Crash
The third and final NTSB press conference on the plane crash in Soldotna was held late Wednesday afternoon in Anchorage.
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Elodea Spreading In Southcentral Alaska
Pilots of floatplanes could unwittingly be spreading a dangerous invasive weed throughout Southcentral Alaska. Elodea, an aquatic plant that chokes lakes and slow running rivers, has been found in several lakes in the Anchorage area, and at least one water body near Fairbanks, and authorities are warning that the plant’s spread threatens irreversible harm to fish habitat.
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